London Pubs—quiet, atmospheric, old

So you seek quiet pubs in 2 of the most touristy of London neighborhoods?

Hmmmmm.

Why not try some pubs away from the city center?

Are you willing to travel a bit?

Agree that this is not the best area to find atmospheric pubs, but the Lamb and Flag is probably the best in that area.

You might be interested in a number of Sam Smith's pubs. They are a bit of an oddball, much like their recently late owner, insofar as mobile phones are banned along with swearing and there is no music or TV's. Many are situated in quite historic buildings, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is a Sam Smith's pub so you'll have an idea of what to expect.

https://londonist.com/london/drink/the-11-best-sam-smiths-pubs-in-london

We are staying right near St Martin’s Lane and wanted places to go in early evening for repast, so maybe a pub or restaurant.

In that part of London, every other building is a pub or restaurant

What about Le Beaujolais, a wine bar in Lichfield Street, the Old Mitre in Holborn, or the American Bar at the Savoy for a treat!

Salisbury Pub or consider the Nags Head or the White Lion. They are across from one another.

This list might give you some ideas.

https://londonist.com/london/drink/london-s-alleyway-pubs-13-of-the-best

But wanting something atmospheric and quiet in the early evening right in central London might be a challenge.

I love Sam Smith's pubs. (As an aside- I've been to every single one in London, and never once has anyone said anything to me about being on the phone- this is certainly not something that is enforced.). They will fulfil your requirements about being quiet and in interesting buildings, but the food is not very good. One I particularly like is Duke of Argyll in Soho- you can go upstairs and it's very quiet, even in the evenings (tho they do close the upstairs before the close the rest). Glasshouse Stores and the White Horse (on Archer Street) are two others close by. The fun thing about White Horse is if you time it right you can see the cast coming out of the Apollo Theatre to sign autographs.

For food I always prefer Fuller's pubs, for me they have the best food by far of any of the chains you'll find in London. Their beers are very good as well.

I like the Golden Lion in King St (St James's) but agree it's tricky to find a quiet pub in central London in the evening - it's after work drinks time for many places.

I did a pub walk with London Walks in April and our first stop was The Angel which I thought was lovely. It wasn't loud and there was a sign about no laptops or phones, but I did see one guy on a phone scrolling (not talking). The Lamb & Flag is also a good pub to check out.

We are staying right near St Martin’s Lane

We stayed here too. The pubs here are mostly pretty touristy, not as authentic as elsewhere. FWIW, we went to Mr. Fogg's in St Martin's Lane and it was OK; and to the Round Table in St Martin's Court, which was slightly more "authentic." The Chandos nearby also seemed nice from the outside, but we did not go in.

Not a pub, and pretty expensive, but can I recommend The Alchemist in St Martin's Lane. Think of it as a 21st century pub, with elaborate cocktails and a trendy vibe. We loved it as a splurge.

The Angel and Chandos mentioned above are both Sam Smith's pubs. Chandos isn't too loud if you head upstairs (this is the case for a lot of central London pubs). That Mr Fogg place is a somewhat gimmicky chain, I wouldn't really describe it as a pub personally.

Not a pub, but close to St. Martin’s Lane, check out Gordon’s Wine Bar on Villiers St.

Thanks everyone for your ideas for pubs and places to eat! This all is very helpful. I looked at the Lamb and Flag which looks like a good possibility. Our son who will be with us has been brewing his own beer for a few years and is really into the process and quality of beers and ale.

So I think we need to make time for his interest in this and maybe travel out of our immediate neighborhood which we will of course be doing anyway.
Any further ideas for a younger person interested in crafting his own beer would be appreciated, but I guess that could be another topic.
Thanks!

This might be a good option.
https://motherkellys.co.uk/taproom-vauxhall-se1/

It was popular with people I worked with. It’s between Vauxhall and Lambeth bridges very near the centre of town.

You should head down to the Bermondsey Beer Mile. A lot of breweries and tap rooms operate in and around the arches of the railway viaduct heading into London Bridge, south of the Thames. Some interesting breweries as you walk down Druid Street. I had a few informal tours with brewers who were eager to speak about their brewing methods and styles.

If willing to travel you might see if the Fullers Brewery in Chiswick is of interest.

The attached George and Devonshire pub is a pleasant spot for a pint and meal.

https://www.georgeanddevonshire.co.uk/

The Fullers Brewery does a tour, which includes a tasting of a number of their beers and ciders afterwards, including their new 2026 8.6% Vintage Ale.
Next door is St Nicholas' Church where the artist William Hogarth is buried.

He lived nearby for the last 15 years of his life, at what is now the free Hogarth's House Museum where they have a current exhibition on the 250th anniversary of the USA.

We enjoyed the White Lion in Covent Garden. Right across is another one. The 3 of us had no issues carrying a conversation and it was still fun and lively.

The Sam Smith pub we visited last December was Princess Louise Pub, c. 1872; near Covent Garden. It was atmospheric and was quiet when we visited in early afternoon.

There happens to have been a Tweedy Pubs YouTube video looking at claims of being the oldest pub in London out today: https://youtu.be/e_tSMIEJqpw

Unusually this is a bit of a reaction to a video on this topic on a general history channel but stands on its own.

Also on this channel are reviews of interesting pubs for one reason or another in particular areas and one covering all Sam Smith's ones in London. I don't agree agree with everything (who does in pubs) but these are a good visual guide on the atmosphere & beer. It won't help much at all in the food aspect though.